Two New Granuflo and NaturaLyte Personal Injury Lawsuits Filed

Granuflo and NaturaLyte Manufacturer Sees Two New Personal Injury Cases in Federal Court

On December 16th, two new personal injury cases against Granuflo and NaturaLyte manufacturer, Fresenius Medical, were filed in the federal court of Massachusetts.

Currently, there are more than 300 personal injury lawsuits involving the dialysis drugs, Granuflo and NaturaLyte, alleging that the powders can cause a buildup of bicarbonates in patients’ blood, which can lead to serious cardiac problems, including stroke and heart attack. Lawsuits also allege, after the FDA issued a Class I recall to prevent the products from being used in further treatments, that Fresenius Medical knew about the risks and did not inform the FDA or the public. A leaked internal memo led to the recall notice.

Fresenius spokesman Kent Jarrell said it was the labels instructing the proper use of the products, and not the products themselves, that were recalled. “The FDA has not suggested any change in the production formulation or asked that the products be returned by clinics to FMC,” Jarrell wrote in an emailed statement. “We believe these lawsuits based on Granuflo and NaturaLyte are without merit and we will defend them vigorously.”

Now, two new plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against Fresenius for injury and death related to Granuflo and NaturaLyte used in dialysis treatment.

One of the plaintiffs, Rose Young, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius after her husband, Whitney Young, Jr, suffered a fatal heart attack immediately after his dialysis treatment at DaVita Forest Fair Dialysis in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 26, 2011. Young’s lawsuit cites documents claiming that Fresenius instructed its employees at its own dialysis centers to manipulate settings to avoid high bicarbonate levels as early as 2008, but did not warn outside institutions that might use Granuflo and NaturaLyte powders in dialysis treatment. Young’s wrongful death lawsuit claims breach of warranty, negligence, strict liability and fraudulent concealment/misrepresentation by Fresenius; she seeks punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to fully and fairly compensate” the victim’s family.

The second personal injury lawsuit involves plaintiff Michelle Donnell, who underwent dialysis treatment at a Fresenius medical center in Dallas, Texas. She claims that she suffered a serious cardiac event, which led to an extended hospital stay, directly due to the use of Granuflo and NaturaLyte powders in her treatment. She says that neither she nor her healthcare providers were warned about the potential dosing errors. Like Young, Donnell also claims breach of warranty, negligence, strict liability and fraudulent concealment/misrepresentation.

Both of the new cases have been added to the multidistrict litigation (MDL) with 145 others under US District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with GranuFlo and Naturalyte Personal Injury Lawsuits

If you or a loved one has had dialysis with Granflo or Naturalyte and have since suffered serious heart problems, or if a loved one has received dialysis treatment with either of these drugs and has died from heart complications, you may be entitled to compensation. Defective drugs can cause serious harm, including wrongful death, and drug manufacturers must be held to a high standard regarding their customers’ health. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. With over 30 years’ experience combined, our lawyers can help you with personal injury lawsuits, including cases against medical manufacturers such as Fresenius, the manufacturer of GranuFlo and Naturalyte. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so do not hesitate to contact us today. 803.252.4800

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